We recently started to use our wash bay to its full potential. We have been working with a detailer who comes in several times a week to detail our customers cars. Here is our VS Motorsports E350 that we had detailed.


If your looking for any Weather Tech products please let us know!

If you are in the Chicagoland area and need your MB detailed, please give us a pm or contact us at the shop!

 

Figure out what they're using on the seats and tell them not to use it - it makes the seats much too shiny. In addition, make sure that they are not using microfiber cloths on the seats as it will damage the finish permanently.

Actually, that would be enough to make me start looking for a new detailer.

 

MB-tex gets shiny after wear and tear. The same thing happens in my GL with black mb-tex and even the beige mb-tex in my E350 is shiny in some spots (mostly around where my tush is and the side bolster) - in comparison to the back seats, where no one sits. I think it's because clothing causes friction in these areas when I/others get in/out of the car. I use the same towels/cleaners on both the front and rear seats, but the driver's seat is the "shiniest" with the passenger seat following. I noticed the same trend on pre-owned cars when I compared them to newer cars with MB-Tex when I visited the dealer yesterday. Atleast MB-Tex doesn't wrinkle!

 

Great job, thanks for posting
Kinda off topic but still related to this beautiful car , I see only 1 button below Comand unit which is uncanny lol

 

Wow, the car doesn't even have P1 package! Gah I hate those weird buttons that are blank and you can't press in!

 

are those the weathertech mats? If so, can you post the rear pieces pictures? The OEM one feels tiny to me.

 

Are you saying that Microfiber is bad for MBTex? Why?

Is microfiber also bad for leather? I use Microfiber to apply leather conditioner to the seats of my E550...

 

Nice work!

 

Seriously???

 

There is a prior thread on the problems with microfiber and a link to a warning in the MB owner's manual.

Wear on MB-Tex will occur in certain areas. These seats are uniformly shiny - indicating that an incorrect product was used.

Found the thread - here it is

 

Yes. See my post directly above this one.

 

Yes they are here is a pic of them, let us know if you want a different angle

 

No the seats are shiny in different areas because different parts of the seat get different wear and tear. The right bolster on the seat cushion won't get as much wear from the driver as the driver doesn't get in/out of the right side of the car. Therefore, the seat won't be as shiny in that area. Mbtex is coated vinyl. Wherever wear and tear occurs, the protecting will wear off, exposing the shiny plasticky vinyl underneath. The front part of the seat cushion doesn't get as shiny as the main sections of the seat and the left bolster. Also the left side bolster on the backrest will probably get shiny too on the bottom because pants rub the edge of the seat when the driver enters/exits.

Microfiber may not be recommended by MB, but then why does everyone else use it on their vinyl/leather seats? I use microfiber and quick interior Detailer EVERYDAY in my E class, yet it's only the drivers seat that stays shiny in some areas while the rear seats remain matte and new looking.

Wear and tear happens on every car and every MBTEX seat will have shine in some areas, especially on the drivers seat where the most wear and tear occurs.


I might try using non microfibers to clean my car. Do you have any recommendations on certain brands/towels I can use. So far I haven't had much luck finding quality cotton cloths.

 

Ill take another picture of the seats when it comes back into the shop, I believe that the flash on our camera could have played a trick on you guys thinking it was shiner than it really is. And noted about the microfiber on the seats. We just need to clean up the car to make way for our newest project car

 

You misunderstood.

Yes, some parts of the seats will wear faster than others causing those areas to be shiny. The seats in the example given by the OP are uniformly shiny - indicating that the gloss is a remnant of whatever incorrect product they were using.

As far as cotton cloth is concerned, there are a myriad of options. Worn out white t-shirts make an outstanding cloth and every auto store (Autozone etc) sells bags of white cotton cloths.

This isn't rocket science and you don't need the quality of cloth that you might use on a painted surface but stay away from microfiber - it will accelerate wear on MB-tex.

If you re-read the linked post, you'll note that we've gone over the "why don't other manufacturers warn against microfibers?" several times and is because they may not have the same issues as MB-tex.

 

Is micro fiber safe for cleaning leather seats with a leather cleaner/conditioner?

 

Wow... I had no idea! I guess I need to stop using micro fiber to clean leather seats and apply leather conditioner...

Is microfiber also bad for cleaning the paint? I've been using Mcguire Ultimate Quick Detailer to keep the paint pristine in-between washes and I've been using it with micro fiber clothes to clean the paint (very carefully of course) and removing tree sap, bird poop, and such. I've been really happy with the results as the Quick Detailer stuff really helps get anything out of th epaint but is there a better method?

 

A quality microfiber is fine for paint but remember that anything that touches the paint can be abrasive - for example, it is always best to "blot" a car dry than it is to "wipe it down." Of course there are few alternatives when it comes to removing dirt or applying product but use plenty of lubricant and try not to wipe anything dry.

Removing bird debris is a bit more difficult because it contains sand that will scratch paint. Here is my recommendation for removing bird poop:

1. Be real. You won't have a dedicated microfiber bird poop removal cloth in your car at all times. If you do, are you going to wash it after every use?

2. Use a paper towel.

3. Pour some water on the bird droppings

4. Place the folded paper towel over the droppings

5. Saturate the towel with water.

6. Let it sit for 5 or ten minutes.

7. "Pinch" it off. The goal is to confine any scratches to a small an area as possible, so always clean towards the center of the droppings.

8. Once the majority of "stuff" is removed, flush the rest off with water.

9. Polish and protect as soon as possible - i.e. when you get home that night.

If you do this as soon as you see a dropping then it'll come off fairly easy and won't do damage.

 

Not to offend anyone or call anyone out but what signs do you see that tell you we used microfiber and what product we used on the car? Not to start an argument, just wanted to hear what you had to say

 

Even if you did use microfiber, the seats look great. Keep up the good work

 

Thank you very much!

 

A paper towel? I would pretreat the area with ONR and then gently wipe away the dropping with a microfiber towel which imparts no scratches unlike paper towels. Then I would follow your advice and polish it up afterwards and reapply wax/sealan to the affected area.

 

This is intense bird doo-doo removal....

 

I have no reason to believe that you used microfiber on the interior (except by what you just said) and it is a very common mistake but one use certainly won't cause issues. What I commented on was the sheen on your seats - an indicator that the wrong product was used. Had you used the correct product then your seats would have looked like new with a matte finish and without shine.

Easy to fix by wiping down the interior with a damp cloth but it shows that the detailer is not well versed in the products that he or she uses.

Detailing is a tricky job to do right and there are many pitfalls that most never think about. If I see a detailer that wears a watch, ring or beltbuckle then I immediately know that they aren't good. The best out there wear sweatsuits without any hardware (assuming that is weather appropriate) or are very careful with their attire to assure that nothing they wear can mar the paint.

Unfortunately, some posters will continue to complain about shiny seats then try to argue about the use of microfiber when MB themselves say not to use it - that should be reason enough not to use MF.

MF accellerates the wear of MB-tex and will make shiny bits shiny faster.

Your detailer just needs to go to detailing school (they actually exist) to learn what products to use on what surfaces.

 

Sure - you're the detailing expert all of a sudden.

Microfiber will scratch - as will everything, but let's be real. Who carries around a bottle on ONR and a freshly cleaned MF? Many people do have a roll of paper towels and a bottle of drinking water in their car.

Removing bird droppings quickly is more important than a few surface swirls, so I'd certainly rather use a paper tower (well soaked) than let the droppings etch into the paint.

In many cases, leaving the soaking wet paper towel on the debris is enough to loosen it so that you can rinse it off with water and never need to pinch it off.

On a properly protected vehicle, careful use of a soaking wet paper towel will not cause any visible issues. Any minor marks will be removed the next time the car is detailed.